Hove, England, June 23: Australia captain Ricky Ponting said fast bowler Brett Lee was "jumping out of his skin" in his quest to get back in the Test side ahead of the Ashes series in England.

Lee played the last of his 76 Tests back in December before undergoing foot and ankle surgery.

Once the leader of Australia’s attack, the 32-year-old Lee, who has taken 310 Test wickets at an average of just over 30 apiece, now finds himself vying for a spot in the team alongside the likes of Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark and Peter Siddle.

Australia have two matches, against Sussex here at Hove starting on Wednesday and the England Lions, before the first Ashes Test gets underway in Cardiff on July 8. And Ponting, speaking at Hove here on Monday, said of Lee: "He’s looking good at the moment. He’s trained harder than I’ve ever seen him train before in the last couple of weeks, whether it would be with his bowling or in the gym or all the extra stuff he’s been doing.

"Anyone that lays eyes on him can see how good a physical shape he is in, which is a real positive for us and a real positive for him. "I know he’s jumping out of his skin to get back out there on Wednesday and start playing again. It’s important for him and all our bowlers to take what opportunities come their way in the next couple of weeks.

"We’ve got some big selections to be made there as far as the make-up goes for the first Test. All the guys know that," he said. — AFP